Accomplished Dreams Broken Reality
by Snark-N-Moon
Summary: Life for agent Lucky Piquel just hasn't been going so smoothly lately. No respect at work, homicides left and right, family troubles...The list goes on! How can it be that when you accomplish one dream, everything else falls apart at the seams?
1. A Drink Called Loneliness

**TITLE: **_Accomplished Dreams- Broken Reality_

**BY: **Snark

**CHAPTER ONE:** _A Drink Called 'Loneliness'_

**DISCLAIMER: **The following work is a piece of fiction produced for recreational purposes. Neither _Bonkers _nor its characters belong to the author. Chocolate pudding. Any resemblance to people or events, living or dead, is merely coincidental. So leave me alone, all right? Sheesh. If you like, leave a comment. If you hate, leave a comment. If anybody knows where I can find some fanfics with Bonkers teamed up with Lucky…PLEASE leave a link.

~0~0~0~

"Do you gaze at your doorstep

And picture me there?

Is your heart filled with pain,

Shall I come back again?

Tell me, dear, are you lonesome tonight?"

~_Are You Lonesome Tonight?_, Elvis Presley

~0~0~0~

It was nine o'clock; Saturday. The warm summer's night drizzled on, as music drowned out the tavern's misery. _The Come Back Inn _wasn't my ideal place to spend a weekend, but heck, it would have to do. I took my eyes off the Jack Daniels in my hand, and lazily let them travel to the bar's musician. Piano Man…again. I couldn't help but wish he was a toon. And that the song would end with a gag of sorts.

Or him gagged. Either one would do.

"How's that drink coming along, Pickle?'

"Piquel."

Phil was a good man with a pleasant smile. Just the kind of man you'd hope to run a place. I swear, he had a tale for everything. Just lost your job? Well, he'd have a friend just like you. Caught your wife with another man? Yeah, he had one of those too. Car get squashed by a toon juggling three bombs and a VHS of Dirty Dancing? …Actually, I don't really know if he has one of those. I should ask him sometime. Point was, that no matter how low YOU were…His friend was off worse. And by the end of the story, you couldn't help but feel better and laugh. As well as feel like a bit of a sadist to happily know you weren't "Ave Joe".

"It's comin' along fine, I guess."

"You're doing it again."

A pause. I took my eyes away from the piano to look at him and glare.

"Oh? And pray tell, what EXACTLY am I doing?"

"You know, that thing you do. You kind of get this far away look. Dreaming of any place but here. It's that look that tells me, by the end of the night, you're going to be depressed and I'm going to worry about you getting liver failure."

I frown.

"I'm not a drunk."

"No, a drunk is fun. A drunk sings show tunes and 'Merry-Go-Round Broke Down'. You, my friend, will never be a drunk."

"Actually, I think I've been talked into doing that while sober a few times…" I stop mumbling to myself, as I corrected my unknown mistake. "Fine, have it your way. I'm not an _alcoholic_."

The words came out leaving a bitter taste that I knew didn't come from my beer.

Phil looked away as he cleaned the glass in his hand. I suspected it was the end of the conversation and went to take a sip from my drink. I didn't even set my glass down, before he spoke again. That time his tone a lot softer.

"You're right, you're _not_ an alcoholic. You're just a man that hasn't seen the sunshine for some time. A man drowning in his own thoughts, that's what you are. I almost wish you _were _a drunk. Give you the break you need. I worry about ya."

He was right. It had been awhile since something good went my way. It almost felt like everything went south the moment I got the job as a FBI agent, and moved to Washington DC. I had spent ten years in Hollywood's Police Force. Ten years wasn't enough for this job, really. Don't get me wrong, the pay is great. Making three times as much as I did.

But money wasn't everything.

I deal with murders and hostages every day. Every. Sing. Day. Sure, I've been in some pretty bad scrapes in the past. But sheesh, nothing was like this. DC doesn't even have toons about. They were a minority. No talking carpet bags cracking jokes and stealing tea cups. No cartoon weather icons framing people for kidnapping or missing persons. Here we have bigger monsters. Just yesterday I had to see the work of a serial killer raping little girls.

It's unsettling when you realize it could have easily been my lil' Marilyn…

"Lucky…Lucky!"

"OH! Er…sorry. Just a case getting a little too close to home, ya know?"

He frowned, sympathizing as he nodded his head.

"You're a good man…It's the hardest on you serving folk. Couldn't do it, myself."

I didn't think I could anymore, either.

"Look, Phil…here's my tab. I think I really need to go home. "

"Sure. Yeah. You take care. Don't do anything _I _wouldn't do."

Wouldn't dream on it. Although, saying that, I wouldn't do most things he _would _do, for that matter.

"Thanks."

~0~0~0~

The drive home had been pretty uneventful. Except for the fact it seemed that damn Billy Joel was following me. I ended up having to shut that garbage off. I didn't need anybody telling me about other guys being in the dumps. I had enough of that for myself, thank you very much.

Speaking of dumps…

I reached the door to my home with a sigh; one hand holding my umbrella, while the other jumbled with the keys. I could feel warm droplets hit the back of my neck, as my umbrella leaned to the side- exposing my uncovered skin. It didn't bother me much. I was just trying to remember which key opened the door.

"I _really _need to start marking these things."

Finally I found a winner, as I kicked open the door and shuffled my way in.

"Honey, Marilyn, I'm home!"

Silence.

"Oh…right."

I still wasn't used to it. Used to the…the emptiness. The silence. No one coming home to greet me with a loving hug or a tender kiss. It had been three months since Dyl left me, taking our daughter with her.

Couldn't say I blamed her, really.

Again, I felt myself lose myself to my thoughts. I could still remember that day clearly. I came home late to find her waiting for me on our bed. So soft, so beautiful, and so undeniably sad. I sat next to her lifting up her chin to get a better look at her. My thumb found their way to stroking her cheek.

"Honey, sweetie…What's wrong?"

"Lucky…we need to talk."

The conversation had started the same way as many times before.

"I'm worried about you."

"I know you are."

"You haven't smiled in ages! You work constantly; we barely get to see you. And you go days where you don't even sleep at night."

"I know."

"I swear, it's like you're not even alive anymore. And it's killing me to see you this way!"

"I kno- Wait, what?"

That part was not a usual part of the conversation. And it was with this line that I felt something was off. For the first time in a long time, I really _looked _at my wife. Dyl looked paler; there were dark bags under her eyes. I could see that her once perfect and long nails were bitten to the nubs on almost every finger. Her usual neat hair was running wild.

To sum it up, she looked like she was in the same state as I was.

"Dyl. I…I didn't realize this was affecting you this much."

She looked away. It was as if the very sight of me caused her pain.

"It hurts to see you like this. I had to watch the man I love, so youthful and spirited, shatter in front of me. And no matter how hard I try to fix this, try to help you, I fail. It doesn't work. I feel so hopeless! What kind of wife can't even cheer up their husband?"

I grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. Trying to reassure her everything would be okay. To apologize for the plight I had unwillingly and unknowing unleashed onto her.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"I know ya are, sugar. But this isn't your fault. I'm just too weak. I have to quit before there is none left of me."

"…Quit?"

My blood froze. My mouth went dry. My heart stopped and clenched in pain.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm so sorry." Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, " I have to leave. "

I had wanted to throw our vows at her. I had wanted to ask her "what happened to 'through thick and thin? Through sickness and in health?'"

But I couldn't.

Just knowing I was causing her to be like this was enough to know I had to set her free. I still loved her. She still loved me.

The problem was that we both loved too much. And her love for another being was causing her to wear away to nothing. When you love someone, you should set them free.

We opened up the cage, together, and set the precious bird free. Maybe now it would learn to sing again.

Maybe I'd someday sing again, too.

~0~0~0~

Back in the present, I had finished with my shower. My thoughts somehow got me through my mundane tasks as if it was a dream. It wasn't long before I was sitting on my bed.

I was tired. I haven't stopped being tired in a longer time than I cared to realize. But I couldn't go to sleep. Can't sleep, my thoughts would eat me. And there was nothing that could distract me. It was just so silent.

I drift to Marilyn.

It had been about two weeks since I saw her. Dyl took her and went to live with her cousin in the area. I didn't fight for custody. I love my daughter. But I would not be blinded by pride and greed in this sense. She needed to be with someone who would be there for her twenty-four seven. Not some agent who got home late on a daily basis. Not some chump who had trouble taking care of himself. So while I was not happy with the situation as a whole, I was more than content to see her every other weekend.

In all actuality, I think she was two. During those times she'd have all the daddy time she'd want. Go out for ice cream, spend a marathon on the couch playing the video game console that the kids seem to be into these days, watch that (no good) Skunky Skunk. Anything her heart desired.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm affecting her too. I do my best to keep a smile and joke around with her. But the spirit just isn't there.

I was not liking where those thoughts were going. Shaking my head, tried to think of what I could do. TV. I'll drown myself with noise. Surely that would help me get to sleep.

At least, that was the plan before my eyes caught sight of the phone. I froze, blocking the impulse to bite my knuckle.

"Oh no…not again."

The phone, it was tempting me. Mocking me. So, it looked like it was going to be another one of those nights, huh?

That was another can of worms opened. Sometimes, I found myself just staring at the thing until the sun rose. I wanted to use it. I wanted to call….

Well, Bonkers.

It seemed that on a daily basis I was thinking about the bobcat. Thinking of when he and I used to work together. About how those times were frustrating and just as pleasurable. About how it was nice to walk into work and know at least there was one person there happy to see you, and glad that you were alive.

Once in a while, I run into Fall-Apart Rabbit. It's refreshing to see him. The lack of toons in the city was still a shock to me. It was like much of the warmth was zapped out of the place. So seeing the crazy critter was enough to lighten the day at least a little. We would get together over coffee, and talk about old times. He usually would get so emotional, that he'd have to pull himself together.

Literally.

While it was nice talking to him, I really liked getting info out of him. Pride prevented me from calling Bonkers…but that didn't mean I couldn't just _casually _ask how he was doing, right?

"Oh, nnnuhnn, he's fine. "

"That's it? Only fine?"

"Well, I find it a bit rude to ogle him. But if ya must know, I do think he looks good in uniform."

"Fall-Apart…That's NOT what I meant."

It would take some time before I really got a straight answer out of him. I would get to hear of the bobcat's latest exploits. Usually something trivial like the toon finding the perfect combination of sandwiches, or the occasional mention of his work with Officer Wright.

A part of me couldn't help but feel sadden that Bonkers wasn't an emotional wreck without me.

"Don't be silly, toons can't help it. Ooo, nnnuhnn! We toons, ya see, kind of have to keep on going. We get sad, ya know. But toon time keeps us from staying that way if we aren't usually like that. Most of us live off of the gag. Only outwardly sad if it's funny!'

"Gee, wouldn't that be nice to be able to easily move on."

"It is! Very very very very nice! ….What's nice, again?"

I shook my head, getting myself out of the memory. No. This was not going to be another sleepless night. If Bonkers could move on and not think about me, than I can do the same. Pfft. As if he could do something better than me. I would not be wasting my night, when I could easily go to sleep, on him.

I turned on the tv, and searched through the channels trying to find something to bore me to sleep. I flipped through channel after channel after channel. Finally, I went past something that made my heart skip a beat from surprise. I go back a couple of channels to find what I missed.

Bonkers…

"Of course they'd be showing re-runs of his stupid cartoons. Oye…"

It looked like I couldn't escape him. He was following me. I couldn't win!

The frustration quickly died, as I watched my old partner. No, I didn't think I'd be getting sleep that night. And for once, I didn't care.

~0~0~0~

AN:

Aaand end of chapter one. Sheesh, this story really depresses me. The idea, writing it, and so on! It shouldn't be so easy to but my favorite character through misery. But, I'm sure he won't mind for long. I do plan on making it up to him.


	2. Hare's An Idea

**TITLE:** _Accomplished Dreams- Broken Reality_

**BY:** Snark

**CHAPTER TWO: **_Hare's An Idea_

**DISCLAIMER:** The following work is a piece of fiction produced for recreational purposes. Neither Bonkers nor its characters belong to the author. Chocolate pudding. Any resemblance to people or events, living or dead, is merely coincidental. So leave me alone, all right? Sheesh. If you like, leave a comment. If you hate, leave a comment. If anybody knows where I can find some fanfics with Bonkers teamed up with Lucky…PLEASE leave a link.

~0~0~0~

" A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely."

~Pam Brown

~0~0~0~

10:24 am; Wednesday. It had been two month since my cartoon marathon all-nighter. Looking back on it, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed by it all. No self-respecting federal agent would do anything like that. They would not let something like a silly toon get the better of them. That may have been a common occurrence in say, Hollywood, but this was the big leagues. It was a slip, yeah. Just an emotional backlash from too much stress. Nothing I couldn't handle.

I was having the hardest time convincing even myself that.

I walked into my office; all vigor seemingly vanished the moment I stepped through the building's doors. It was just another day. Something new would surely pop up, seeing as just a few days before I had finished the serial murder case. Tony Goldfast was slime. No, worse than slime. Slime wouldn't hurt children. It had been a joy to have him sentenced for sixty years for every murder. Sixty years for ten little girls. You'd think I'd get a pat on the back for that…

No, that level of work was expected from you.

I sat down, far too tired to really want to do anything. I opened my eyes, happy to see my usual cup of joe. Clarice, my secretary, must have brought it. As much as I moaned about the place, I would say she was a perk. She might have been lippy, but she was understanding. Pushed you when you needed it, but knew when you needed a break from her sass. Plus, the young lady made a nice cup of coffee.

"Back so soon? I thought the zoo had a policy of keeping their animals in cages."

Speaking of the devil…

"Hardy har har. I almost forgot to laugh." Her words finally sunk. "Wait, what do you mean 'back so soon'?"

"You forgot to check your memo again."

It wasn't a question. She had the airs as if it was complete fact. And boy, did I hate it when she was right.

"Well, I wouldn't say I forgot it, exactly…Okay, yeah. I didn't check."

She shoved a piece of paper in my face. Her red fingernails practically dug into it. I took it away from her, reading over the pink sticky note.

"Vacation days?"

"Required vacation days. You have like a week and a half stocked up. You haven't used any this year."

"That's not true! I took the day off for Marilyn's birthday."

Clarice swirled her finger around sarcastically.

"Whoop-de-do. You know how they get about rules. If I were you, I'd leave before the boss man spots you. Or do you get off to him chewing you out?"

Yikes. Now that I definitely did not want. Senor Agent Madder wasn't the friendliest guy in a good mood. But do something like forget to separate the recyclables from the trash…Brrr! I didn't even want to THINK about!

I quickly finished my coffee before getting up out of my chair.

"Er…thanks. I guess I'll be seeing you then."

"What the heck are you even going to _do_?"

Now _that_ was a good question. And one I was thinking about all the way down the stairs, and out the door.

What does a separated man do with a week and a half of vacation time?

~0~0~0~

Apparently a separated man sits around in his underwear, munching on Lays potato chips.

Well, to be honest, that wasn't my most ideal vacation. Heck, didn't feel like a vacation at all. A vacation was taking the family on a cruise. Going camping. Or better yet, going to Disney Land!

But no can do. While I had spent some time with my daughter, Marilyn couldn't leave anywhere with me. Not because her mother would disprove. (I'm sure Dyl would have been thrilled.) No, it was simple. Life hated me. Or I had bad timing all the way around.

Same thing, really.

Of course the time I was forced to be away from work would be the same time my daughter started school. If I had kept track of it sooner, I would have been able to plan a nice trip the week before she went back to the educational cesspool. Better luck next year, huh?

However, that left _me _with nothing to do.

I was about to assign myself to a tv watching, chip eating fate…When it seemed destiny had other plans. For no sooner had I came to this miserable conclusion, did I hear banging on the door. Not particularly caring who saw me in my underwear, I began to walk towards the door.

"Yeah yeah, I'm comin'! Hold your horses, would ya."

The door flew open, and before I knew what happened, I was tackled to the floor. I opened my eyes slowly. The back of my skull aching like mad.

"Oh no, nnnuhn! It's just AWFUL!"

Oh boy, Fall-Apart Rabbit.

"Would you get off of me!"

The crazy toon did not hear me; he was lost in his own frantic rant. I tried to get up, the yellow critter sliding off my chest and into my lap.

"Mayday! Mayday! I'd like to report a missing person's case. Ooooh, I looked everywhere for 'em! I searched the unnamed franchised coffee place. I checked all donut shops in the whole city. I even searched underneath a rock!" He paused. "I was _really _surprised he wasn't under there, too."

I grabbed my head, the rabbit's ramblings did not help my growing headache. I sighed, remembering the rules I once taught a certain bobcat. One must stay cool and calm under pressure. A cop must have patience. Obviously, whoever was missing, was very important to the toon. And whenever someone important was missing, of course it alarmed the loved ones.

I tried to calm the cartoon lagomorph to get answers out of him.

"Alright, calm down. _Who's _missing?"

"FBI Agent Lucky Piquel." Fall-Apart looked me over, before a light bulb went off. It finally dawned on him who he was sitting on. "Saaaaay, ya found him already! You're good!"

Frustrated and not able to take the nonsense anymore, I pushed Fall-Apart Rabbit off of me. I climbed back to my feet.

"Why would you even look under a rock?"

"You always said ya lived under a rock."

Being literal was never the smartest idea around a toon.

"Okaaaay, next question. Why were you searching for me in the first place?"

"Oh! Oh! I know this one!" The yellow rabbit went cross-eyed as he tried to recollect. "Uuum, don't tell me. Don't tell me…Do ya want the answer in a form of a question?"

I facepalmed.

"Suuuuuure, why _not_?"

"What is a prescheduled date?"

"We were supposed to go on a date?"

"We were? Oh boy! I hope I look pretty enough for it. Does this sock bring out my eyes? Nnnuhn!"

Toons. You could never get a straight answer out of them. I was about to shoot down and correct his nonsense…But the date, pardon the joke, dawned on me. It was Monday. Fall-Apart and I always met up for lunch on Mondays. As much as I hated to admit it, they were just what I needed to keep me going the rest of the week. And sane. Somehow.

"Oh! You're right! Sorry about that." I scratched the back of my neck; I felt bad for making the poor guy worry. " I guess with being off from work, time just slipped away from me. Ya know what I mean? Here, give me a moment to get dressed."

He threw back a "kay", as I went up the stairs. I grabbed clothes left and right, not sure if they were clean or not. I put them to the ol' nose test, and just put on anything that didn't smell like sweat or raspberry jelly donuts. It wasn't long before we were out the door and into my car.

~0~0~0~

"Ya know, if you have the week off, you should go visit Bonkers."

We had decided on a little family owned pizzeria for lunch. For someplace so small, they made some of the best Hawaiian pizza I've ever had. As well as the only place that made me want to order a salad. I have also taken Marilyn here a few times. She seemed to share my enthusiasm about it. Declaring they made the best chocolate milk.

Oddly enough, it was Fall-Apart who found this place.

I nearly choked on a pineapple, as the toon's comment hit a little too close to home. While we ate and chat, my thoughts had drifted back towards my old partner. How he and I used to share our lunches together. I felt pathetic that missing him bothered me so much. The thought that somebody as oblivious as the toon rabbit being able to tell this, too, didn't help matters either.

"Er, heh. W-what….what would make you suggest a silly thing like that?"

"A silly thing like what?"

"Visiting Bonkers."

"Visiting Bonkers? Gee, that's a great idea! You should totally do that."

"Is this a natural talent? Or did you have to work hard to become this confused?"

"Ooooh, nnnuhn! I was drawn this way."

We were going around in circles. I decided to calm myself before I got too frustrated, by finishing the rest of my slice. I dipped the crust in garlic sauce, before bringing us back on track.

"Okay, let's start this interrogation from the beginning. Why do _you _think I should go visit Bonkers?"

Cheese was hanging from the side of his lip. Fall-Apart spent a good minute trying to use his tongue to work its way back into his mouth. When that didn't work, he went to pulling it with his fingers. He didn't seem to be much more successful with that, but had continued to talk.

"Oh! Well, that's easy, I'm sure bonkers would like to see ya. When I talk to him on the phone, he's always asking about ya. And you're always asking about 'im. So I put two and two together, and got pie."

I was confused.

"Pie?"

"No thanks, I'm still working on my pizza." The cheese finally gave way, and the yellow rabbit popped it in his mouth.

Toons…

Wait, did he say the bobcat had been asking about me too? That sent a sudden warm feeling to my heart. Was it possible that he was just as out of sync as I was? Did he actually stop and spend a lot of his time thinking about me too?

…Not that I did that…

"You know, that's not a bad idea." I stopped, making sure I didn't seem as eager to rush down there as I felt. "I mean, yeah, I don't have anything else to do. And if he's asking to see me, who am I to not fulfill his wishes? I'm no monster. Yep…I'm sure he'll be all over me the moment I get there."

Not that I was hoping he would, naturally.

So as we finished our meal and continued to chat, I began forming plans in the back of my mind. What I would need, how much it would cost, and most importantly- how I would even get there. Plane, train, or automobiles- it was like I was juggling a million ideas at once. All I knew was this…I didn't want to lose even a single minute I could be spending with my old partner.

And the realization of this, quite frankly, scared me.

~0~0~0~

**AN: **

You know, originally, fall-apart wasn't supposed to have such a big part in this chapter. But once I started writing him, he wouldn't shut up. Not that I'm complaining. I needed something to cheer me up after how miserable Lucky was in the last chapter. I was also worried that the chapter was too cheerful, compared to the last. However, I soon realized that if I was to keep Lucky in that mood…well, he would never have actually gone to visit Bonkers. I think the idea would have, eventually, crossed his mind. But he is a man full of pride. Admitting it was for himself only would have prevented him from actually going. But hearing that Bonkers missed him, well, that's different. I think he needed an outside force to tell him this.

Enter the rabbit.

Future chapters should be interesting. While I wasn't much of a fan of the Miranda episodes, I'm looking forward to writing her. I don't want to just throw her out of the picture completely. As a person, she's a nice gal. The type of woman I'd like to surround myself with. But as a character, I find her boring. I felt the Lucky episodes worked better because the humor fell on both of them, not just on Bonkers. I felt the humor came from Bonkers acting silly, and then Lucky's reaction to the unknown world of toons. I do have a theory, however, about how I can make Miranda's "straight man" routine work though. I'll try to illustrate it in this story. But, most likely, I'll have to write another story for it.

By this rate, it's going to take me forever before I go back to Darkwing Duck…


End file.
